Parental Acceptance & Child Functioning in LGB Youth: A Family Stress Perspective

描述（由申请人提供）：摘要与父母的支持关系对女同性恋、男同性恋和双性恋（LGB）青少年的心理健康至关重要，他们经常因为自己的身份被污名化而面临不良的心理结果（D'Augelli & Hershberger, 1993; Goldfried & Goldfried, 2001）。然而，对于其他可能与LGB青年的父母接受度和心理功能有关的家庭因素，我们知之甚少。同样，对于父母自己的幸福如何受到LGB孩子的影响也知之甚少。本研究利用家庭压力理论（Hill, 1949; McCubbin & Patterson, 1985）这一广泛使用的基于系统的框架，来制定和测试预测LGB青年及其父母心理功能的横截面和纵向模型。参与者将包括150名自认为LGB青年（16至21岁的基线）和至少一位家长。青少年和父母将完成问卷调查，评估家庭资源、对性的信念、压力源的堆积、父母对青少年性取向的接受程度，以及一系列父母和儿童的心理健康结果。父母和孩子之间结构化的解决问题的讨论将被录像和编码，以评估亲子关系功能和沟通的各个方面。目前的研究是纵向的，在四个时间点，包括第一次参与后的6个月，12个月和18个月，将招募家庭参与。结构方程模型将用于测试基于理论的横截面模型，其中家庭压力因素，包括家庭资源，对性的信念，以及家庭压力源的堆积，与青少年和父母的心理功能有关，由父母对孩子性取向的接受介导。在复杂的中介模型中，亲子关系质量将作为家庭压力因素与父母接受之间的联系进行测试。潜在增长曲线模型将用于测试基于家庭压力理论的纵向模型，该模型预测了基线功能的结果和研究措施随时间的变化，包括父母接受度随时间的变化。还将进行分析，以检查基于儿童性别和家庭种族的不同时期的生长轨迹差异。这项研究是第一个将家庭系统方法应用于性少数群体青少年心理健康的研究。它也是第一个将性少数青年及其家庭成员作为参与者的研究之一，也是第一个观察性地检查性少数青年家庭关系模式的研究，特别是在跨种族样本中。基于经验的模型对于为性少数群体青少年及其家庭制定有效的心理健康服务至关重要。该项目的研究结果将深入了解促进男女同性恋和双性恋青年及其父母之间支持性家庭关系和健康发展的因素。公共卫生相关性：目前的研究被提议作为一个与父母接受青少年性取向披露相关的家庭系统因素的纵向检查，以及这些因素，包括亲子关系质量和父母接受，如何随着时间的推移与父母和孩子的功能相关。本研究的重点是一组由于性少数身份而处于高风险的青年，并研究了不同种族的年轻女性和男性的社会和情感功能相关途径。这项研究与公共卫生相关，因为它关注的是处于危险中的青年群体，并试图了解家庭因素如何随着时间的推移与这些青年的调整和高风险行为相关。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Abstract Supportive relationships with parents are paramount for psychological well-being among lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) youth, who often face adverse psychological outcomes as a result of their stigmatized identity (D'Augelli & Hershberger, 1993; Goldfried & Goldfried, 2001). Little is known, however, about other family-based factors that may be related to parental acceptance and psychological functioning among LGB youth. Similarly, little is known about how a parent's own well-being may be affected by having an LGB child. The present study utilizes Family Stress Theory (Hill, 1949; McCubbin & Patterson, 1985), a widely used systems-based framework, to formulate and test both cross-sectional and longitudinal models predicting psychological functioning among LGB youth and their parents. Participants will include 150 self-identified LGB youth (ages 16 to 21 at baseline) and at least one parent. Youth and parents will complete questionnaires assessing family resources, beliefs about sexuality, pile-up of stressors, parental acceptance of the youth's sexual orientation, and a range of parent and child mental health outcomes. A structured problem-solving discussion between parents and their child will be videotaped and coded to assess aspects of parent-child relationship functioning and communication. The current study is a longitudinal one, in which families will be recruited to participate in four time points, including six, twelve, and eighteen months after initial participation. Structural equation modeling will be used to test theory-based cross-sectional models in which family stress factors, including family resources, beliefs about sexuality, and pile-up of family stressors, are related to youth and parent psychological functioning, mediated by parental acceptance of a child's sexual orientation. In complex mediational models, parent-child relationship quality will be tested as a link between family stress factors and parental acceptance. Latent growth curve modeling will be employed to test longitudinal models based on family stress theory predicting outcome from baseline functioning and changes over time in study measures, including changes in parental acceptance over time. Analyses will also be conducted to examine differences in growth trajectories across time based on child gender and family ethnicity. This study is among the first to apply a family systems approach to mental health among sexual minority youth. It is also among the first to include both sexual minority youth and their family members as participants and is the first to observationally examine relational patterns in families of sexual minority youth, particularly in a cross-ethnic sample. Empirically-based models are essential in formulating effective mental health services for sexual minority youth and their families. Findings from this project will provide insight into factors promoting supportive family relationships and healthy development among lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth and their parents. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The current study is proposed as a longitudinal examination of family systems factors related to parental acceptance of youth disclosures of sexual orientation, and how such factors, including parent-child relationship quality and parental acceptance, may be related to parent and child functioning over time. This study focuses on a group of youth at high risk due to sexual minority status and examines pathways related to social and emotional functioning in both young women and men across different ethnic groups. This study is relevant to public health in that it focuses on an at risk group of youth and seeks to understand how family factors may be related to both adjustment and high risk behaviors in these youth over time.